Chapter 7 - The Collapse of the Empire
By midnight, the storm had passed, leaving behind a crisp, clean night sky filled with stars.
At the state police headquarters downtown, the interrogation rooms were bustling with federal prosecutors, state investigators, and forensic accountants.
Maggie had been intercepted by state troopers at the private airfield twenty miles outside the city, caught with two passports, eighty thousand dollars in undeclared cash, and three encrypted flash drives containing the complete ledger of Apex Syndicate's illegal corporate takeovers.
Faced with a mountain of irrefutable evidence—including the MicroSD recordings, Dr. Thorne's toxicology reports, Whitney’s detailed logs, and the bank trails provided by Evelyn Vance—Hayes and the Apex Syndicate executives broke down, signing full confessions to avoid federal capital charges.
In Interrogation Room B, David sat under the harsh fluorescent lights, his hair disheveled, his expensive suit rumpled, staring at Evelyn Vance across the metal table.
"Your mother has already implicated you in Thomas Solomon’s murder to secure a plea deal for herself," Evelyn said calmly, sliding a copy of Maggie's signed statement across the table. "She claims you were the one who physically swapped Thomas’s cardiac medication three years ago."
David let out a hysterical, bitter laugh, burying his face in his hands. "She planned the whole thing! She was the one who found the thallium supplier!"
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"It doesn't matter who started it, David," Evelyn said, standing up and packing her briefcase. "You are both facing life sentences without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder, attempted murder, child abuse, and corporate treason. You will spend the rest of your natural life in a maximum-security federal facility."
Evelyn walked out of the room, leaving David screaming curses at the two-way mirror until the heavy steel door slammed shut, locking him in the dark forever.
